


The Bookish Girls

by GooeyHeat



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:11:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21690505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GooeyHeat/pseuds/GooeyHeat
Summary: Akyuu and Kosuzu spend some time together on a cold day.
Relationships: Hieda no Akyuu/Motoori Kosuzu
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	The Bookish Girls

A frigid breeze blew through the mostly-empty streets of the village. Winter was in full swing, and while the snowstorms of the past two days had died down, it was still so cold that few bothered to be outside for leisure. Most shop owners had finished clearing the snow from their property in the morning, too, so the village was ultimately as quiet as it could be during the day.

One such shop was the Suzunaan book store. After a series of mishaps involving demon books imbued with the power of youkai, Suzunaan had become a popular spot both for normal humans to pick up books to read and for youkai and those who interact with them to find books of rare magical power. On a day like this, though, there was nary a customer in sight.

Kosuzu Motoori, the daughter of the shop's owners, sat behind the shop's front desk, wrapped in a blanket, her nose buried in a book (as it so commonly was). She tried not to get too wrapped up in her reading when customers were around, but with things so quiet, she had time to read as much as she wanted. The only sounds that could be heard were the regular turning of a page, and perhaps her light breaths, if one listened extremely closely.

The minutes of the cold winter day ticked by, though one could be forgiven for not noticing them, considering how little changed inside the small bookstore. Eventually, though, all things must come to an end, as a small bell signaled the first person to enter the shop in three days. Kosuzu looked up at the sound.

"Welcome to Suzunaan, how may I- oh, hi Akyuu!"

Hieda no Akyuu entered. To most, she was the Child of Miare, an important person whose ability to remember anything and everything made her the center of the world of the wealthy Hieda family. But to Kosuzu, she was simply her closest friend, as the two bonded over a love of books.

"Hello, Kosuzu." Akyuu smiled warmly.

"I'm surprised to see you here on a day like this. Most people would stay inside when it's this cold."

Akyuu stretched a bit. "That's what I did for the past two days. I needed a change of scenery, and to get away from the busybodies back at the manor."

Kosuzu stood up and smiled. "Well, grab a book and come to the couch! It's pretty chilly, so we can share this blanket." Suzunaan was a bookstore, not a library, so usually Kosuzu wasn't particularly willing to let people read for free for long periods of time, but Akyuu was always an exception. Kosuzu strolled over to a small couch in a corner behind some bookshelves, still in her blanket, and took a seat. Akyuu picked an interesting-looking novel from one of the shelves and soon joined her. Kosuzu draped the blanket over both of them, leaning into Akyuu's shoulder as she did so. She opened her book back up and continued reading.

Akyuu glanced down at the page. "What are you reading today?"

"Oh, it's some outside world romance novel."

Akyuu smiled slightly. "I didn't know you read those."

"Come on, you know I read just about anything!" Kosuzu said, pushing up her reading glasses. "I'm not sure I like this one much, though. It's got the same issue I have with a lot of love stories, I think."

"Oh? What's that?" Akyuu had opened her book, but wasn't reading it.

"They're always focused on a few big, dramatic moments. Like, the first meeting, or a big climactic confession, or something. There's never any downtime where the characters just get to enjoy their company," Kosuzu sighed.

"Well, that's just standard storytelling. People will always go for the more dramatic stuff," Akyuu said matter-of-factly.

"I guess, but it just doesn't feel like love to me, you know?"

Akyuu grinned. "And I'm sure that's an area you're quite the expert in."

"Like you're one to talk!" Kosuzu giggled, playfully pushing Akyuu. Akyuu laughed too, and their voices echoed around the empty shop before dying down. In the silence, the two returned to their reading. After a few minutes, a sharp breath from Akyuu broke the silence.

"Kosuzu?"

"Hm?"

"What... what would feel like love to you?"

"H-huh!?" Kosuzu turned towards Akyuu, who was avoiding her gaze.

"I'm... just curious... after you said..." The light in the room was dim, but Kosuzu thought she could see a blush on Akyuu's face.

"Well..." Kosuzu thought a moment. "I think it would just be having someone I could sit close to and talk to for a long time... someone who would listen to me talk about books for a while, and maybe they'd do the same..."

"Kosuzu..."

"Someone who I could lean up close to on a cold winter day..."

"Kosuzu..."

"Really I'd just want to have someone to share the quiet afternoons with..."

"Kosuzu!"

"Hm?" Kosuzu turned towards Akyuu. There was no doubt about it now; Akyuu's face was covered in a deep blush. "What's wrong...?"

"I..." Akyuu looked into Kosuzu's eyes, and saw that she really didn't seem to understand what was on Akyuu's mind. She sighed. "...it's nothing."

Kosuzu tilted her head a little bit. "Are you sure?"

Akyuu took another breath. "I... I suppose I agree. I think that's the kind of love I'd be interested in, too."

Kosuzu's eyes lit up. "See? I knew you'd understand! There's not enough appreciation for that sort of thing. Hey, maybe 'Agatha Chris Q.' should write a love story sometime!"

Akyuu chuckled. "Somehow, I don't see that happening."

Kosuzu pouted. "Aww, come on!" she said, and then giggled too. The two girls both found themselves laughing at the idea, and at each other's voice.

Once their laughter died down again, Kosuzu glanced over at Akyuu's book. "So what are you reading?"

"Oh, this? I think it's a fantasy novel from the outside world. Apparently it's about a big magical city in a world on a giant disc..."

The two continued to talk, and when their words ran out, they simply read quietly together, huddled up close under their blanket.

The two were still reading about an hour or so later. the light from the windows and a few candles illuminating their pages. Kosuzu, however, found herself looking up from her book. She slowly and quietly turned her head towards Akyuu, who was still engrossed in reading. Kosuzu took a quiet breath in, and then closed her eyes. Quickly and quietly, she leaned over and softly kissed Akyuu on the cheek, before pulling away.

Akyuu turned towards Kosuzu, but before she could speak, Kosuzu put a finger to her own lips and smiled.

"Yup, that's definitely it," Kosuzu whispered, punctuating her sentence with a wink.


End file.
